Winning Them Over
by Jessica314
Summary: Breaking Dawn missing moment! This is Renesmee's account of meeting some of the vampires that come to witness for the Cullens. Begins with the very end of Chapter 31, when Peter and Charlotte arrive.
1. New Friends

**I asked my niece (who is to blame for my Twilight writing spree, by the way) to pick any one-shot for her birthday present. She chose Renesmee's POV of the time when the "witnesses" began arriving. This begins at the very end of Chapter 31: after some (extreme) hesitation, the Denalis have pledged their support and the "grown-ups" have just been discussing Bella's shield, and the fact that the Volturi's upcoming visit is probably for acquisition as well as punishment.**

**Disclaimer: The Twilight universe belongs to Stephenie Meyer, including some direct quotes from _Breaking Dawn_ which appear in this story. No profit is made here and no offense intended.**

The uncomfortable silence stretched on for several minutes. I put my hand on Carmen's face, showing her that I wanted to go to Momma, but she kept staring ahead, lost in deep concentration like all the other grown-ups. Eleazar and Daddy had just figured out that the Volturi were probably coming for more than one reason, and everyone seemed to be going over the news, thinking about what it might mean. Momma was concentrating hard than any of them, her eyes darting back and forth as she thought. Now that I thought about it, she had looked like that ever since Eleazar started talking about shields.

Everyone looked up toward the front door suddenly, and I heard it a second after everyone else; the sound of a car coming up the driveway. I jumped out of Carmen's arms and ran over to Momma, who picked me up absently. She had tensed at the same time as everyone else. "Oh crap, Charlie," she muttered as she stood, shifting me over to her hip. "Maybe the Denalis could hang out upstairs until-"

"No," Daddy interrupted, staring at the door as he cocked his head, listening. "It's not your father. Alice sent Peter and Charlotte, after all. Time to get ready for the next round."

His gaze turned to Jacob. "No, not more cousins," he said carefully. "I told you that the Denalis are the only ones, remember?"

Jacob stood up straighter, his jaw tight. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" he asked stiffly.

Daddy held his hands up, trying to calm Jacob down. "No, it doesn't need to be like that." What was he talking about? I reached up to touch Momma's face with my question, but Daddy answered it first.

"Renesmee," he said quietly, "Peter and Charlotte are friends of Jasper's, and they're coming to help us. But… they're a little bit different from our family. They have red eyes. Do you understand what that means?"

"It means they drink humans," I said impatiently. Sometimes everyone-even Daddy – tended to forget that I was already a big girl, in my mind at least. I knew that most vampires didn't hunt animals. I knew all about it.

He smiled his famous crooked smile. "You're right, sweetheart, I'm sorry. Anyway, I just wanted you to remember that it doesn't mean that they aren't our friends."

I frowned. "I thought red eyes meant a vampire was bad. Except Momma, of course, because she's new." It was what my Jacob had said, anyway.

Daddy flashed a frustrated look at Jacob, who stared right back at him. "It's more complicated than that," he said. "It's true that we- our family- don't like the choice that they make about their diet. But they are our friends nonetheless, and Alice has sent them to help us. You'll like them, and I'm sure they'll like you."

Momma held me closer. "Of course they will," she said as she rubbed her forehead on mine.

"But will they…" I bit my lip, reaching up to Momma's face, showing her a picture of red-eyed vampires chasing me, their sharp teeth showing.

She hissed quietly, and turned to Daddy. "What about Renesmee's scent?" she asked.

He was wincing at the picture in my mind, as well. He rubbed the back of his head, glancing at our cousins. Everyone shook their heads, and he relaxed. "I don't _think_ it will be a problem," he said slowly. "At least nobody here feels tempted." He glanced at Jacob again, and nodded uncomfortably.

"We're heading backstage again," Jacob grumbled to Momma, and the three of us went to the dining room again while Daddy went out on the porch to talk to the visitors, closing the door quickly behind him. I squirmed anxiously in Momma's arms, touching her cheek with a picture of Carlisle.

"I wish he were here, too, baby," she whispered. "But it's going to be all right. Alice wouldn't have sent them if it wasn't. And Daddy's here."

She was right. I needed to trust my family, because they were trusting me. It was my job to show the truth about myself to all the friends that came. Even if I was scared, I had to be strong for them. I squirmed again, pushing against Momma's shoulder to let her know I wanted to get down.

"No, Renesmee. Wait until Daddy says."

We waited while he gave the explanation again, just as he had done before. This time, though, he told them the whole story before calling me out, so they wouldn't be so surprised when I approached them. I never heard anyone except Daddy speak; that had to be a good thing. Finally, he called for us, saying that it was all right if I walked in myself.

As Momma put me down, I grabbed onto her and Jacob's hands, walking between them. Jacob's hand was hotter than usual. "It's okay, Jacob," I said bravely, craning my neck to look all the way up to him. He grinned down at me carelessly, giving my hand a squeeze.

We walked into the living room, where the two new vampires were standing beside Daddy. They didn't seem nearly as upset as the Denalis had at first, but their red eyes made me feel nervous. I held back for part of a second, before biting my lip and making my feet move again. I had an important job to do, and everyone was counting on me. As I drew closer, Daddy gave me an encouraging nod.

"Hello, Peter. Hello, Charlotte," I said in a tiny voice. Charlotte was a tiny vampire, so tiny that she reminded me of Alice. Peter was much taller and scarier. He didn't look mean, exactly, just scary. As soon as I spoke, he tensed and held one arm out in front of Charlotte.

"It's all right, Peter," Charlotte said in a high, sweet voice. "Her heart is beating, just like he said."

Daddy stepped between us and picked me up. "This is Bella," he said reverently as he nodded toward Momma. "She is my mate… my wife. And _this_," he said in a happier, louder voice as he turned his smiling face toward me, "is our daughter, Renesmee." He bounced me in his arms, and I giggled despite my fear. Peter relaxed visibly, and lowered his arm. Charlotte shyly returned my smile. I wondered if I should show her first, or Peter.

"Peter," Daddy answered aloud as he took a step toward the visitors. "Renesmee would like to show you her story. She has a gift that is somewhat the opposite of my own- you'll see what I mean." He took another step, and Peter tensed again, but didn't back away. I made myself smile at him and reached up, trying not to think about his teeth as I touched his cheek with my fingertips.

I showed him the same things I had shown the Denalis: my memories from inside Momma, the moment when Daddy helped me be born, the image of Momma weakly asking to hold me even as she lay dying. I sped up the pictures after that, showing him what I had seen in the mirror every morning since I had been born: my own face, changing and growing visibly with each consecutive image. I showed him all the measurements that Grandpa Carlisle had taken, and my first words, and the first books I had read. I ended with what I was seeing now- his own face, a smile spreading as he watched me grow in the memories. I took my hand away, no longer afraid, even though I could see his teeth now.

"Amazing!" he breathed. "You were right, Edward. She's no immortal child. And what a talent! Try it, Charlotte!"

To my surprise, the shy, quiet vampress reached out to hold me. I glanced at Daddy, who nodded and relaxed his arms so that I could jump. I pounced over into Charlotte's hug, immediately showing her the same information. But since she seemed nicer than Peter, I added some funny memories, as well: playing cars with Emmett, my attempts at braiding Rosalie's hair, and riding on Daddy's back through the forest at top speed. By the time I took my hand away, we were both laughing.

"_Rosalie_ let you braid her hair?" Charlotte asked in a tinkling voice. Everyone laughed at that, and finally even Jacob joined in. His booming laugh silenced every other sound in the room, and Peter and Charlotte stared at him curiously, inhaling deeply as they puzzled over his scent. Charlotte wrinkled her nose distastefully and Peter looked as though he was going to be sick.

"What is _that_?" he asked, pointing to Jacob.

Daddy's eyes narrowed. "The family pet," he said drily. All our cousins burst out laughing again, and Jacob just rolled his eyes while Mommy glared at Daddy, shaking her head.

"That's my Jacob," I said proudly. "He's a werewolf, and he's my very best friend." I pouted over at Daddy, and for just a second I thought about sticking my tongue out at him. I didn't, though.

"Quite a gathering," Peter said, pointedly ignoring Jacob as he glanced around the room. "An army?"

Daddy shook his head. "We're not planning on fighting. And we're gathering witnesses, not an army. Our hope is that our numbers will convince the Volturi to delay judgment long enough to hear the truth."

"One only has to hear her heartbeat to know she's not immortal," Peter replied with a frown. "You're only going to antagonize them with a crowd like this." He glanced over at Charlotte and I, his gaze softening. He turned back to Daddy, telling him something silently. I hated it when people did that, just because I was around.

Daddy waited a moment before answering. "Forgive me if I don't share your faith in their impartiality," he said coldly. He looked over to Eleazar, who shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "As I said, we're just looking for witnesses. The bigger the crowd, the more likely they are to listen. We have other friends coming, hopefully by the end of the week. All we ask is that you stand with us, and testify to the fact that Renesmee is not an immortal child."

"And if they don't believe us?" Peter asked, folding his arms.

"Then we will defend ourselves," Momma said angrily. Daddy stared at her for a moment before turning back to Peter.

"We will not ask you to fight," he said firmly. "If things should… go against us, we will understand if you choose not to take sides. But if you do choose to stand with us, whatever comes, you will have our deepest gratitude."

Charlotte looked up at Peter, touching his shoulder gently. "You know how much we owe Jasper," she whispered to him. "And I don't want to see any harm come to this little one." She took a step forward. "We will stand with you, whatever comes," she said in a clear voice.

Peter cleared his throat, stepping up as well. "We are undecided," he said through his teeth, looking down at his mate intently. She stared back up at him, and they seemed locked in a silent conversation. Oddly, neither of them seemed to be willing to give in. Finally, Peter turned back to Daddy. "We are undecided," he repeated. "But we will stay for now, and see how big the army grows."

"Witnesses," Daddy insisted.

"Army," Peter said, rolling his eyes. He looked around the room again, taking in the sight and scent of each vampire. "Well, if we're going to stay, I assume you'll want us to hunt well out of town, like last time?"

Everything happened so fast after that. Jacob snarled and leapt forward, only to be held back by Eleazar and Tanya. He strained against their arms, and his arms trembled inside their grasp. "There isn't going to be any _hunting_!" he growled.

"Calm down, Jacob," Daddy said. "I was just going to suggest that our visitors do their hunting out of state."

"Oh, so it's all right with you if they murder people somewhere _else_," Jacob sneered. "Out of sight, out of mind? Is that it?" He jerked his gaze over to Peter. "Why can't you hunt animals, like the others?"

I looked hopefully over at our visitors. Maybe they _would _change their minds, and Jacob would be happy. But Daddy shook his head sadly.

"Animal blood," Peter said with a laugh. "No, thank you. It's almost as bad as smelling the werewolf. No worries, Edward. We'll just swim up to Vancouver." Daddy nodded, and although Jacob was clearly still unhappy, he stopped fighting Eleazar and Tanya. They let him go, with Kate moving over to stand beside him. She held up one hand in warning, and Jacob took another step back, eyeing her fingers nervously.

Peter and Charlotte spent most of the morning talking to the Denalis, and Daddy and Eleazar left for a while to talk about something in private. The whole time they were gone, Momma just stood like a statue that had been placed by the living room window, her eyes seeing nothing as she stared out. When they came back, Peter moved over to talk to them in a whisper, but I overheard everything they said anyway- most of it had to do with vampires whom I had never met before, and with "strategy". Momma also listened, having never moved from her spot by the window. Her hands were clenched the whole time.

I spent most of the day playing with Charlotte and Carmen. Jacob tried to play with us, but the ladies seemed to not want to be near him because of his scent. He gave up after a while, tousling my hair and running out the door as he started taking off his shirt. Everyone was a bit more relaxed after that. Most of my toys were here in the main house, and we played in silence while the others whispered in pairs. Charlotte hardly talked at all, just like me. Sometimes I would show her things, making her laugh or smile.

Everyone watched curiously as Momma made my dinner: a sippy-cup of blood, with a side dish of green beans and noodles. I drank the blood quickly, pushing the rest of the food around and sighing over and over until Momma gave up. Peter thought it was funny, and after dinner, he joined Charlotte on the carpet beside me. He turned out to be fun, as well, and he had a talent for making silly voices. By the time the sun had set, everyone had stopped talking and was watching those of us playing on the floor.

Finally Momma knelt beside me, holding out her arms. "I think I'll take Renesmee to bed, Charlotte." I jumped up, landing on her shoulders and laughing as she stood and carried me out towards the cottage. While we ran, she told me how proud she was of me, and how much the visitors liked me. I kept my hand on her face during the run, showing her all the things I had done with my new friends today; I didn't think she had seen much of it the first time.

After I was ready for bed, she tucked me under the covers and turned out the light. She laid down beside me, playing with my hair absently in silence for a while. I was busy thinking, too. I liked our new friends. And I was glad that they were staying to help us. But as much as I loved having visitors, I missed the rest of my family. When were Grandma and Grandpa coming home? Were Rosalie and Emmett finding lots of other helpers? And why did Alice and Jasper have to leave us? Didn't they know that we needed them? I reached over to Momma's face.

"Yes, I miss Alice and Jasper too," she said, staring up at the ceiling.

"Why did they leave us?" I asked in a whisper. "Why didn't they stay and help?"

Mommy was quiet for a moment. "You know Alice sees visions," she said finally. "She must have seen that it would work out for the best if they went somewhere else. And they _are_ helping us- remember, they were the ones who sent Peter and Charlotte. Who knows what other special things her visions told her to do?" Her voice sounded flat, empty, and she bit her lip, thinking again.

I frowned. I didn't think Alice's visions worked like that. And if Alice knew she was going to get more helpers, then why didn't-

"I've lived with Alice for fifty-six years," Daddy said as he came in the room. "And I don't think I'll _ever_ figure her out. But there is one thing I do know- and that's that she loves us all very much. And wherever she is right now, I know that she and Jasper are missing us very much. _Especially_ their favorite niece," he added as he knelt down by my bed, slipping his arm up to hold hands with Momma.

His other hand picked up one of mine, and he held it against his cheek. He didn't need me to use my talent with him, but he knew that I liked to do it, anyway. He began to hum my special lullaby as I began showing him my favorite memories of the day. I also showed him Alice and Jasper, running around on a map of the world that was laid out like a carpet. Alice leaped from continent to continent, giggling as Jasper chased her around the world.

Daddy laughed along with me as we watched Alice run faster and faster, her outfit changing every time she completed a revolution. I moved my other hand to Momma's face so that she could watch, too. But then I decided that Momma would be sad if I showed her Alice again, and so I began to make up a story where my stuffed animals came to life and started chasing each other around the world, instead. Then I changed it to the main house, and the stuffed animals were running through the hallways. Daddy changed to humming a Sousa march, and the animals in my imagination fell into step with the song, until one by one they tumbled down the stairs into the living room, all landing in a pyramid formation on top of Daddy's piano.

By the time the pyramid was complete, Momma and Daddy were both giggling along with me. "That was fun," Daddy said as he stood up. "And you're so creative, sweetheart. You picked just the right pictures to help our friends understand today. I'm very, very proud of you!"

I smiled, leaning my face shyly into his arm. My hand was still on his face, and I asked him silently when more friends would come.

"The others will take a bit longer," he said quietly. "Carlisle and Emmett have to find them, and some of them live very far away. Some don't have a home like we do, and it might be tricky."

Momma leaned closer, breathing in my scent and squeezing me goodnight. "I love you, Renesmee," she whispered into my ear as she stood up, too. She put my toy wolf in my arms and walked out into the hallway.

"I love you too, Momma," I called.

"Goodnight, princess," Daddy said as he bent down and kissed me on the forehead, giving the wolf a tweak on the nose, like he did every night. "I love you."

_I love you too, Daddy._

_._

_._

**So, obviously, it's not a one-shot any more :) **** Please review and let me know what you think- I've grown so accustomed to writing Edward's POV that it was really challenging trying to try and think like a supernaturally-intelligent kid. Fun, though :) Please share any ideas for the upcoming meetings, too!**


	2. Seditious Talk

It was still dark when Momma woke me up, shaking me gently.

"Renesmee, we're about to have more visitors. Renesmee?"

I yawned, stretching out under my covers. I reluctantly peeled them away, sliding out of bed and heading to my closet to get dressed.

Momma paused with her hand on the closet door, and shut it again. "No, I think your pajamas are perfect," she said with a smile. "It makes you look more human." She quickly brushed out my hair, and carried me right out the door, duck pajamas and all.

We entered the main house through the back door, since the visitors were already inside. We could hear Daddy telling the story again, and we waited for him to call us out, just like before. When he had finished speaking, a girl's voice uttered three words: "It's all true."

"Come on out, Renesmee," Daddy called, his voice sounding happy. I let go of Momma's hand, and peeked around the corner. I found everyone standing around the room like yesterday, but now there were three more vampires, all with red eyes. One was a big, strong-looking lady who stood eye to eye with Daddy. Next to her was a male who was just as tall as Emmett, though much thinner. But the lady was the one who had her fisted hands on her hips, and I could tell immediately that she was in charge. The third vampire was much shorter, a girl with curly red hair- she must have been the one who had spoken, because there was no _way _the big lady could have sounded like that.

I was right. She spoke next, her deep, husky voice echoing through the room as she nodded once. "That's good enough for me. We will witness for you."

The male nodded as well. I finally came out, drawing their attention as I approached the big lady. "I'm Renesmee," I said, reaching my hand upwards.

"I'm Siobhan," said the lady as she nodded down toward me solemnly. "This is my mate Liam, and Maggie." She reached down to shake my hand, but I held my hand up higher, standing on my tiptoes. She knelt down, nodding to the others to follow suit. I touched Siobhan with my right hand, and Liam with my left, telling them at the same time. Their eyes lit up with the same wonder that everyone else's had, though neither of them reached to hold me.

I could tell right away that Maggie was going to be a friend. As soon as I began showing her my story, she broke into a beautiful smile, clasping my hand against her face with her own in encouragement. "Amazing," she whispered. I decided to show her the animal march I had invented last night, and she laughed so hard when the animals tumbled into their pyramid, that everyone else in the room joined her laughter, even though most of them didn't know why they were laughing. "Let's show them," Maggie whispered mischievously. She took my hand and I led her to my toy corner, where most of the stuffed animals were stored in a chest. Everyone else watched in amused silence as we reenacted the pyramid on top of the piano. Since I was so little, Maggie had to pick me up in order for me to stack the animals, and I giggled as she "flew" me back and forth like an airplane to get the animals. Daddy caught on right away, and sat down to play the Sousa march that he had been humming last night while we worked.

Just as we got the last animal on top, the front door flew open and Jacob came in looking upset. After a curious sniff, the newcomers jerked backwards, pulling together in a tight defensive triangle behind the piano.

"Why didn't you tell me more had come?" he demanded, glaring at Momma as he crossed the room and wrapping a huge arm around me.

Daddy just kept playing-his way of showing our guests that Jacob wasn't a threat. "If you would carry a cell phone, like I asked you to, we could have."

"Right. How am I supposed to carry, much less answer, a cell phone while I'm wolf?"

Kate snickered. "I'm sure we could make you some kind of collar for that. You know, like Saint Bernards wear." The other Denalis laughed along with her, and the new vampires stared at Jacob in disgust, even as they began to relax.

Jacob just smirked back at her. "Hey, that's not bad, for a blonde. Maybe you could give Rosalie a few pointers when she gets back." Kate just growled back, and Daddy finally stopped playing to make his belated introductions.

"Siobhan, this is Jacob Black, werewolf and ally. Jacob, the Irish coven- Siobhan, her mate Liam, and Maggie."

Jacob nodded curtly to the newcomers. "I take it you've explained the hunting rule?"

Daddy turned back to the piano keys, playing a soothing nocturne- meant to help Jacob relax, no doubt. "I was just getting to that…"

But before he could speak, Carmen came into the room, holding Alice's digital camera aloft. "Look what I found!" she said, turning it on to take a picture of the animal pyramid. The nomads, Jacob, and the Irish coven backed away, leaving our family crowded around the piano bench for the pose. It felt funny to see everyone smiling all at once. While there had been a few jokes and fun moments when I had been playing with the new friends, everyone had been quiet and serious ever since Alice's first vision of the Volturi. As soon as Carmen lowered the camera, the smiles faded. I wondered if everyone else was thinking about Alice, and how she and Rosalie had been taking pictures of me constantly until they had left. I looked up at Daddy, and he nodded sadly, holding his hand out to me. I scrambled up onto the piano bench beside him.

"Try this," he said. He lifted one finger to the keys, playing the first seven notes to my lullaby. I watched intently, lifting my own hand up and copying the notes. Everyone in the room drew in a breath and held it, watching as he taught me the rest of the tune in sections, and I played each section back. By the time we made it to the end, Jacob was kneeling beside me and everyone else had drawn closer to the piano, watching closely. Jacob's and my breathing was the only sound in the room, besides the music and our heartbeats.

"Now put it all together," Daddy said gently.

I started over with the first section, continuing to play until I had gone through the entire song. When I had finished, I started again, and this time Daddy played the lower parts while I played the tune he had taught me. Our song filled the room, and a funny thing happened- everyone standing around us seemed to relax. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw their shoulders droop a bit, and their hands fall relaxed at their sides as they listened. It was just like having Jasper do his magic.

I peeked over at Charlotte and Peter, who were standing over by the far end of the piano. Less than two days ago, they had been traveling alone, as usual, not knowing that Alice and Jasper were already hurrying towards them. They had come here without knowing why, and by the time Momma had taken me to bed last night, Peter had agreed that they would be witnesses. I looked around at all our new friends, and our cousins. _Everyone_ here had decided to stay here to witness for me, and more were on their way. Even though they knew the danger, they had all decided that it was worth it. And, hopefully, in a few days, I would have my family back… most of them, anyway. And I already had Momma and Daddy right here, and my Jacob. _And_ I had just learned to play piano.

I was the luckiest girl in the world!

.

.

.

Daddy got the call early Sunday morning. Momma and I were in my closet, trying to make sense of the mountain of clothes that Alice had already bought me. I was starting to outgrow the ones that Alice had gotten out last week, and Momma was grumbling to herself as she flipped through yet another section of neatly hung clothes. Most of them were still too big, but at least Alice had had the foresight to clip together the matching parts of each outfit. I briefly touched Momma's face, letting her know that I wanted to wear a dress today. She had just taken down a yellow sundress when she stopped breathing suddenly.

"I'll be right back," she murmured as she walked out of the closet. I changed quickly and followed her outside, where she was watching Daddy as he talked on his cell phone.

"I'm surprised as well," he was saying. I pouted, wishing I had vampire ears like Momma. Who was he talking to? I listened to the buzzing voice that was coming out of the cell phone, hoping to hear Jasper speaking. But the rhythm wasn't right for Jasper, though it was definitely male. I tugged on Momma's sleeve, and she bent down. "It's Grandpa Carlisle," she whispered. "He's calling from Egypt."

Daddy was still listening, and he suddenly broke into a hopeful smile. "That's good," he said. "If we could… no, don't tell them any more just now. Get them over here first." He paused, listening again. "I will. Yes, of course."

He hung up, heading immediately toward the main house. Momma picked me up and followed, smiling at whatever news she had overheard.

Daddy began speaking as soon as we entered the house. "Carlisle has Alistair with him, and they're with the Egyptians now," he announced. His words set everyone on edge, and those that were sitting or standing together began murmuring.

"Are they coming?" Tanya asked.

"I don't know. Carlisle said Amun is a little wary of travelling abroad for any reason, and he hadn't even told them the situation yet."

Tanya rolled her eyes. "Well, if he tells them everything, they're _definitely_ not going to come."

"I agree, and so does Carlisle" Daddy answered. "He's going to leave it vague for now, and let us do the explaining if and when Amun gets here."

"I don't understand," Momma said. "Why can't Carlisle just tell him now? Why would he refuse to help us?"

"It's a matter of his own history with the Volturi," Daddy replied. "Amun is one of the oldest vampires in existence, if not _the_ oldest. Far more ancient than Aro, at any rate."

A hush fell over the room as he spoke. Nobody except Momma and I seemed surprised, but they all stared at the floor, listening as Daddy told the story- although it seemed more like a fairy tale.

"The Egyptian coven used to be quite large, back when vampires lived out in the open. Things were different back then. Humans knew about our kind, and they lived in fear of their immortal neighbors- many were enslaved, or offered up by their own people as blood sacrifices. The most powerful empire at the time was the coven in Dacia- the Romanians, as we call them now. They were larger than the Egyptian coven, and far more ambitious. The members of both covens ruled for millennia, living as gods, enjoying a reign of terror over the mortals in their respective lands. There was peace between the two covens, even if they weren't friends- there was no centralized power in the vampire world, and although the Romanians were headed that way, they never moved against the Egyptians.

But things changed when Aro and his coven came into power. They were ambitious from the start, but also more clever than the Romanians. As they set out to conquer the vampire world, they claimed that they were acting in the best interest of immortals everywhere; their justification was that our kind should keep our existence a secret, and any coven that refused to abide by the new 'law' was eradicated. They claimed that they were bringing everyone into a new world order, where anonymity would bring greater freedom and safety to vampires everywhere."

"And they were right about that, in the end," Siobhan interrupted. "Just look at the advances in military technology that humans have made in this century alone. For the first time in history, our kind _is_ at risk, and our anonymity _is_ important. I for one am glad that we have receded into myth."

Daddy just rolled his eyes and continued. "The Volturi were also clever in another way: they employed the unique idea of seeking out talented vampires to fill the ranks of their army, whereas the Romanians had only valued raw strength. Amun and his coven lived in relative peace until around the fifth century. Even then, they were left alone while the war raged between the Volturi and the Romanians. But the Romanians were eventually defeated and scattered, leaving the Egyptians ripe for conquest. Amun and his mate were the only ones who survived, and that was only because he saw what was coming, and defected."

Momma hissed. "He joined the Volturi?"

"No, not as such. He simply separated from the main coven, declaring his intentions to bow to the new law. Aro spared him as an example, a testament to the _fairness_ of their methods." He spat the last words out like a curse. "Anyway, Amun was lucky to escape with his life, and for the most part, he's been careful not to antagonize the Volturi. If he finds out that we've already been condemned, there's no way he'll risk getting involved."

"So… it's up to me, then?" I asked in a small voice. Everyone turned and looked at me.

"He may not even come, sweetheart," Daddy said gently. "I really don't know how he'll react to Carlisle's invitation; I've never even met the man. But if he does come, there will be four of them."

Murmurs of surprise rippled around the room, and Daddy held his hands up for silence. "I don't know much. Carlisle just discovered the additions today- that's why he called. All I know is that they're a mated pair. He said there seemed to be some secret surrounding the male, but he's certainly not going to be prying right now. He and Amun haven't seen each other in over two hundred years, and he's just grateful to have been received at all."

Tanya barked out a laugh. "That _is_ an accomplishment, if he's as miserable as he was back in the twelfth century."

Eleazar suddenly sucked in his breath, looking awkwardly at Daddy, who was wearing an expression of shock.

"What?" Momma demanded.

Daddy was shaking his head slowly. "Amun created _Demetri_?" he asked incredulously, still staring at Eleazar. Momma's teeth snapped together in anger, and I knew why. I had heard her and Daddy talk about Demetri before; he was the one that would be able to find us anytime he wanted, no matter where we were.

"It was an errant thought," Eleazar said quickly. "It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters!" Daddy said angrily. "Is there anything _else_ you aren't telling us?" He stared at Eleazar in silence, his eyes getting darker as he listened. The rest of us waited in confusion for a full minute, as Eleazar looked more and more uncomfortable.

"Would somebody please tell us what's going on?" Tanya asked impatiently.

Daddy spun around to face her. "Apparently, the reason Amun was so miserable when you met him was that he was in mourning. He had created Demetri during the previous century, and Aro had just taken him away. And that wasn't an isolated incident, was it, Eleazar?" He turned back to our cousin with an accusing glare.

Eleazar began pacing, running his fingers through his hair as he darted back and forth. It would have been funny to watch, if he hadn't been so upset. "No. There were several others- but Aro always got to them first."

Daddy moved to block Eleazar's pacing, his hands opening and closing over and over, like he was trying to calm himself down. "Eleazar, it's _crucial _that we know these kinds of things. You need to decide which side you're on!"

Carmen frowned, moving quickly to Eleazar's side. "What are you saying, Edward? Haven't we pledged to stand with you?"

Daddy moved back a step, holding up his hands. "Forgive me," he sighed. "I didn't mean it to sound like that at all. It's just that your thoughts are quite a bit more… _loyal_ to them than you seem to realize. And I understand that you were entrusted with certain secrets during your time with them. But this is the kind of thing we _have_ to know, if we're going to be successful. Old alliances, feuds… we don't want to cause offense any more than we already have. Besides, Aro is going to see you standing with us. I hardly think that he's going to expect you to have kept silent about _everything_ you learned when you were with the Guard. Now, is there anything else we need to know about the witnesses we're gathering?"

Eleazar just shook his head sheepishly. But now Tanya was getting upset, as well. "Edward, think about what you're saying," she said sharply. "The Volturi are not our _enemy_. The things you're saying out loud, and no doubt thinking, could easily be considered seditious. When Aro takes your hand, you don't want to give him any more fodder for accusation. You're in enough trouble as it is. So for heaven's sake, let's have no more talk of _sides_."

"I feel the same way," Peter said, drawing all eyes to himself- it was the first time he had spoken aloud in two days. "I do not consider the Volturi my enemy. I know better than anyone here how important they are in our world. I just wanted to say that for the record," he added, giving Daddy a hard look.

"They're coming to execute- or acquire- my entire family," Daddy said through his teeth. "That sounds like an enemy to me."

"That's because you're seventeen," Siobhan said firmly. "You want everything to be black and white, good and evil, but that's simply not the case, Edward. I agreed to witness for your daughter, because I have some faith in the justice that the Volturi mete out. Granted, my faith is a bit shakier now that-"

"Hold it, hold it," Momma interrupted. "Tanya, what did you mean, '_when_ Aro takes your hand'?"

Tanya laughed bitterly. "Bella, think about it. Even if everything goes perfectly, Aro would never pass up the chance to touch Edward's hand _now_. Just look at all the vampires we've attracted already. Who do you think is the best person for Aro to pick on, in order to get the biggest sampling of thoughts? The mind reader."

"Tanya's right, love," Daddy said quietly. "In any case, he's probably going to ask for my thoughts in the very beginning, regarding Renesmee… _if_ we get that far."

Momma looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock. "You mean he's going to see… every time we… and…" she started trembling, her hands covering her face.

Daddy zipped across the room, taking her in his arms quickly. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he stroked her hair. "I'm sorry. But if I refuse him, I might as well offer all of us up to be burned."

"Can we get back on topic?" Kate asked loudly. "I believe we were about to come to the conclusion that having Amun witness might not be such a good idea, correct?"

"I'm not so sure about that," Siobhan said thoughtfully. "I would think that having such an ancient vampire in our ranks would lend a sense of gravity to our cause, even if Aro does consider him a competitor."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Eleazar said. "It really was just an errant thought, Edward, honestly. Aro doesn't consider Amun to be competition. He's practically a laughingstock among the Guard."

"_Was _a laughingstock," Daddy replied. "He's doubled the size of his coven since then. If he had the audacity to do that, who knows what else he's been up to?"

"_You'll_ know," Eleazar said firmly. "Once we get him here, it will be an easy enough matter for you to observe his thoughts. _If_ he comes."

"I certainly _hope_ he comes," Tanya said. "Another four, plus Alistair, and the-"

"Ssh!" Daddy held up his hand, and everybody froze, waiting to see what he was hearing. I felt scared all of a sudden, wondering who was coming now. Once again, the grownups seemed to have forgotten I was here. All this talk of enemies, and wars, and burning made my stomach hurt. I moved silently to stand beside Momma, who still looked upset about Aro but was watching Daddy with the rest of them.

"It can't be Amun," Tanya said quietly. "He's still in Egypt with Carlisle."

"A nomad?" Peter mused.

Daddy relaxed all of a sudden, and we all began breathing again. "It's Garrett," he announced.

"Who's that?" Kate asked.

"Another one of Carlisle's nomad friends," he answered absently as he continued listening. "Emmett and Rosalie must have found him first." He looked down at me, smiling. "Are you ready, princess?"

I nodded bravely. I felt better already- Daddy seemed to think this one would be easy. I stood still, playing with the edges of my sundress while I waited to hear the sound of a car coming up our driveway. It never came, though. First there was nothing, and then we all jumped as we heard footsteps on the front porch and a pounding knock on the door.

Momma came back to life. "Should we leave the room again?" she asked.

Daddy shook his head. "It won't be necessary this time," he said. "You'll see what I mean." He opened the door, and a tall, sandy-haired vampire swaggered into the room, taking in the sight of the crowd with a low whistle.

"Emmett wasn't kidding," he said in a smooth voice. His bright red eyes continued roving until he saw Tanya and her sisters, crowded together. He cocked his head to the side curiously, and his gaze finally fell on me. "And what have we here?" His eyebrows rose higher and he finally looked at Daddy for the first time.

"Nice to see you too, Garrett," Daddy said with a smirk as he shut the door. He moved over to me and Momma, placing a hand on each of our backs. "My wife, Bella, and our daughter, Renesmee. She was born while Bella was still human. That's her heartbeat that you're hearing."

Garrett's eyebrows rose again as he cocked his head again, his eyes darting back to Momma and Daddy. "Is that even possible? I mean, how did you-"

"Garrett."

"Sorry."

"So, she's not an immortal child," Daddy said simply.

Garrett stepped sideways a few feet, looking at me from another angle. "She _looks_ like an immortal child."

"That's our problem," Daddy muttered. "The Volturi have been erroneously informed that we have done the unthinkable, and they're headed this way in less than a month. We're looking for-"

"Hah!" Garrett exploded. "You've really gotten yourselves into a mess, haven't you? How old is she?"

"I'm three months old," I said shyly. Garrett smiled doubtfully, looking back to Daddy.

"And she's gifted, as well," he said proudly. "She can place images in your mind with only a touch."

"Now _that_ I've got to see," Garrett said, grinning and show his teeth. He sank down the floor, holding his hand out to me. I stepped forward and put both my hands on his face, showing him what I had shown everyone else. He flinched at first, but he waited until I was done to speak.

"Incredible," he murmured. "Although I doubt the Volturi are going to sit down and wait for her to touch them."

"That's why we're gathering witnesses," Kate said, stepping closer. "We want them to pause long enough to listen."

Garrett stood up, looking at Kate's face intently. "More golden eyes," he mused. " You're in more trouble than I thought, Edward. How many vampires _has_ Carlisle created?"

Kate gave him a superior look. "Carlisle? Carlisle is a _child_ compared to my sisters and I. We were hunting animals long before his ancestors were born. We only met the Cullens a few decades ago."

"Anyone can hunt animals," Momma said softly. "Anyone can learn to do it."

"Of course they can," Kate scoffed. "We hunted humans for centuries before we figured it out."

Garrett tilted his head curiously. "I always thought it was a Carlisle thing. Hmm. What does it taste like?"

"This is all very interesting," Daddy interrupted. "But the subject at hand is Renesmee. Now that you've heard her story, will you stand and witness for us?"

"You don't need witnesses, kid. What you need is an _army_. I'm in."

Daddy smiled, but held up his hands. "Thank you. But this is no army- we're hoping to resolve this peacefully." He glanced over and Tanya and Siobhan with a guilty look. "And I've just been reminded by the older and wiser among us that seditious talk isn't going to help our case."

"Please!" Garrett snorted. "What fun is having tyrants if you can't overthrow them once in a while? When I was fighting the redcoats-"

"Wait," a new male voice interrupted. We all looked around curiously, surprised to see Liam stepping closer. I hadn't seen him say one word all weekend, but his eyes were bright and alive _now_. "You fought in the American war for independence?"

"Died in it, too," Garrett said proudly. "Don't me _you're_ a whig, with that accent?"

"Older," Liam answered. "Irish rebellion, 1641. And I struck a few fine blows against Cromwell, before a vampire cut my military career short. Although I think I was meant to be dinner, not a creation. But I was a much better soldier after my transformation," he added with a fierce grin. "I fed exclusively on Englishmen for at least a century after that."

Garrett grinned back, rubbing his hands together. "Friend, I think you and I have a lot in common." The two men seemed to forget all about me as they began exchanging stories, their excitement growing louder and louder. I just looked back and forth between their faces, soaking everything in.

"So much for not encouraging seditious talk," Daddy muttered under his breath.

"They have a point," Momma whispered back. "We need to be prepared for the worst. When are you going to start teaching me how to fight? Now's as good a time as any."

Daddy's lips pressed into a thin line. "Fine," he sighed. "Come on." They got up and headed out the door. I started to follow.

"I want to watch," I said, holding up my arms to be carried.

"Absolutely not," Daddy said quickly. "You're staying here. Carmen?"

"I'll watch her. Are you hungry, _bebé linda_?"

"No. I want to watch Momma fight," I said, disappointed with how pouty my voice sounded. I pulled away from her, but Momma and Daddy were already gone.

I sighed and followed Carmen into the kitchen. She stuck a cup of blood in the microwave and started going through the food cabinets while it warmed up. By the time the microwave dinged, there were several of our visitors crowded around the kitchen doorway, sniffing the air curiously. Carmen quickly snapped a lid on the cup, and Garrett laughed as I began drinking. He elbowed Kate, who was standing next to him.

"Who needs animal blood, when you've got that?" he joked. Kate rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to answer him when the front door slammed. We all darted back into the living room, but it was only Momma and Daddy, back already. Momma looked angry and Daddy looked sick.

"Well, _that_ was the shortest lesson ever," she growled. She looked around the room, her eyes resting on Garrett. She stuck her finger out at him. "You. You want to teach me how to fight?"

Garrett bowed. "At your service, ma'am. What's the matter, Edward? No stomach for fighting your own wife?"

Daddy just glared back at him. "Just do it at least a mile out, all right?" Garrett gave him a winning smile and headed back out the door with Momma. A few of the others went out to watch, and I tried to slip out with them.

"Renesmee, _please_," Daddy moaned. "Stay here. Come on, I'll hold you while you have your breakfast." I pouted again, but climbed up into his lap, drinking while he stared out the window, watching Momma leave with the others.

"Daddy?"

"Mmm?"

"What's a whig?"

.

.

.

**A/N: Okay, it's official: I am physically incapable of writing anything short anymore. Anyway, Breaking Dawn goes at such a fast pace and there are so many characters, that it leaves so many scenes/interactions/conflicts open to explore. I can't help it! More to come...**


	3. My Daddy

**A/N: Not much happens in this chapter, but it sort of took on its own identity so I'm posting it separately. Tissue alert!**

While I was drinking my breakfast on Monday morning, Grandpa Carlisle called again, saying that the Egyptians were on their way. As soon as he hung up, Daddy drove into Port Angeles to buy everything he could find in order to teach himself Arabic, so that he would be able to understand their thoughts.

I waited until Daddy was far away, and then asked Maggie and Charlotte to take me outside so that I could watch Momma's fighting practice.

"Sorry, Nessie," Maggie said. "But you know your Daddy wouldn't like that."

I was just about to pout when the front door banged open and my Jacob came in. "Jacob!" I squealed, running over to him. He swooped me up with his big hands and spun me around, tossing me up so high that I banged into the ceiling. I giggled and landed on his shoulders, clamping my arms around his shaggy head.

He looked up at the new crack in the ceiling, biting his lip in a way that reminded me of Momma. "Oops. You okay, Nessie?"

I already had my hands on his forehead, so I showed him a picture of him doing it again, only outside.

"I dunno, kid. They're doing some serious grown-up stuff out there. Why don't we play inside for a while?"

I pressed my hand harder to his forehead, showing him again.

"You got it," he said cheerfully, heading for the door.

"Um, Jacob…" Charlotte began awkwardly. It went against all the vampires' instincts to even speak to him- I guess he just smelled too bad. I thought he only smelled _funny_- but in a good-funny way. "Edward doesn't want her watching the drills… especially when Bella is the one fighting. Let's keep her in here."

Jacob just laughed as he carried me out the door, ducking way down so I didn't bang my head. I couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty. I knew more about the imprint than everyone seemed to think, and I was sort of using Jacob to get what I wanted. But I really _did_ want to watch, and Daddy's rule _was_ silly. It wasn't even a rule, really, just a preference. I just hated being left out, and at all the wrong times, too. After all, I had been there yesterday when everyone was talking about burning and loyalty and tyrants.

We settled down on the grass to watch. Momma had spent several hours yesterday with Garrett, and now she was practicing with Tanya. Most of our visitors were already watching, and Peter and Garrett were sparring as well, off in the distance. Momma was filthy and Tanya was clean.

"No, Bella," Tanya said patiently as she slammed Momma down again, sending up a cloud of dirt. "You're still thinking like a human. You need to fight in all three dimensions- use the space around you, above you. If you do ever end up in a fight, almost every vampire you meet is going to be taller than you. You need to get yourself up in the air more often, and you need to stop being so skittish about using your teeth."

"But I'll hurt you!" Momma protested, backing away slightly.

"I'll heal," Tanya shrugged. "And anyway, this is just practice. If you just get your teeth on my neck, we'll count it as a win."

"The targets I have in mind _are_ shorter than me," Momma grumbled under her breath as she crouched down for the next round.

Eleazar frowned where he sat beside Jacob and I. "What do you mean by that, Bella?"

She looked up guiltily, like she didn't realize she had said it out loud. "Jane and Alec," she said quietly.

Tanya frowned, looking back over to Eleazar. "Why would-"

Momma pounced, landing on Tanya's shoulders, teeth to her throat. "Gotcha." Tanya smiled and nodded, shoving Momma off.

"Well done," Eleazar said. "Now what did you mean about Jane and Alec?"

"I just mean that if things don't go well, it'll be up to me. I'm going for Alec first, and then Jane if…" She trailed off, looking over at me.

Eleazar shook his head. "It won't come to that."

Momma just bit her lip. Now she was looking _everywhere_ except at me. "Of course it won't. Doesn't hurt to be prepared, though. Can you teach me, too? You used to be one of them, after all."

Eleazar rubbed the back of his head, looking nervous. "I suppose so." He stood, waving Tanya away. The crowd of vampires quieted as Momma crouched again. Eleazar started to bend forward as well, but there was a blur and he was standing behind Momma, holding her arms behind her. "Not every fight begins with formal posturing," he instructed. "And you could have evaded me- you're fast enough. Again."

He backed away, crouching low this time. Momma nodded and mirrored him, darting away when he attacked this time. He attacked again, and she moved away again. But the third time he seemed to suddenly fly into a rage, snarling and snapping his teeth as he flew at her. Momma gasped and held her arms up in defense, only to have Eleazar grab her by the wrists and pull, his teeth meeting her throat. It looked funny, like he was kissing her the way Daddy did sometimes.

"Most of your opponents will not be friendly relatives, nor will they be civil," he said, as he released her. "Again." He pounced again without warning, pinning Momma to the ground easily.

"Sorry," she muttered as she scrambled back up onto all fours, spitting dirt out of her mouth.

"Nice, Bella," Jacob chuckled.

"No, she's doing well, for a newborn," Eleazar said. "It takes-" he grunted as Momma slammed into him, snarling like a bear and putting him in a headlock. They struggled for a moment, and she slowly pushed him down to the ground, touching her teeth to the back of his neck. He laughed, the sound being muffled by the grass. Momma released him and he popped back up into standing. "Excellent. Now, Tanya, why don't we give her two against one?"

The fighting went on for a while, until suddenly Tanya froze, walking away from the fight with her nose in the air. Everyone quieted instantly, and I sniffed along with them. I couldn't smell anything, but I felt a growl rumble in Jacob's chest. He stood, scooping me up with one arm and backing slowly toward the house. Momma darted over to stand beside us, brushing as much dirt as she could off of her clothes.

"What?" I hissed.

"New vampire," Jacob said in a tight voice. "Probably another red-eyed buddy of Carlisle's, but we'll wait and see."

I could smell it now, and a second later, I saw a brown-haired young woman emerge from the treeline. She paused, her eyes sweeping over the crowd.

"It's all right," Siobhan called. "Emmett and Rosalie sent you?"

The woman nodded, slowly making her way toward us. Siobhan and Tanya separated from the group, moving off to the side to meet her. Liam began to follow, but Siobhan held up her hand, and he returned to the main group, watching her intently. Jacob and I headed back to the group as well, waiting with the others while the new lady spoke in whispers to the welcoming party. I couldn't hear any of them, but I could read her lips from here.

"I don't see any here from Carlisle's coven," she was saying nervously.

Tanya and Siobhan spoke for a while, and the lady's gaze turned toward me. Momma took me out of Jacob's arms and waited for the signal. Finally, Tanya turned around and nodded. Momma walked at human speed, and we stopped when we were still twenty feet away.

"I'm Bella, Edward's mate," she announced.

"Mary," the woman said without smiling. "Emmett and Rosalie explained everything. This is the child?"

"Our daughter, Renesmee. She can show you-"

"No, thank you," Mary said stiffly as she eyed me. "I will stay and see if she grows, as they said. If she does, I will witness. I heard sounds of a fight earlier."

"Thank you," Momma answered with a pretend smile. "And we were just practicing. I'm a newborn, and some of the older ones are teaching me to fight. Just in case."

Mary hesitated, but then seemed to change her mind and walked forward towards the crowd. She seemed to know Garrett, and Peter and Charlotte; she talked quietly with them for a while and seemed to relax a bit after that. The fighting resumed. After a while, Mary inched toward me and finally asked quietly if she could see my gift. I barely touched her, sending her just a few pictures since she still seemed nervous. She pulled away after less than a second, but gave me a small smile as she stood back up.

Daddy returned after a couple of hours, clutching several shopping bags. As he approached, Momma and others stopped fighting to greet him. When he saw Momma, her hair wild and her clothes torn and covered in dirt, he clenched his teeth for a second, but gave her a tired-looking smile. The smile disappeared, though, as soon as he saw me and Jacob sitting on the grass. Then his nose twitched and he looked around the crowd.

"Mary!" he exclaimed, his face relaxing.

"Hello, Edward," she answered, nodding. Daddy was quiet for a few moments, watching her.

"Yes, I understand. Thank you," he said finally. She just nodded again, and then turned back to her conversation with Charlotte.

Daddy came over to us and held out his arms. Jacob sighed and released me, and I jumped up. Daddy started carrying me back to the house, motioning for Jacob to follow us. When we were back in the house, Daddy tossed his shopping bags into one of the living room chairs. He looked upset, so I went to play the piano as soon as he put me down. I jumped up onto the bench and began to slowly practice my lullaby, listening to see what Daddy would say.

"You know I don't want her watching the fighting," he hissed at Jacob as soon as the door closed. There was a pause, and he looked even more upset. "I see. And if she asked you to throw her off a cliff, would you do that too? Because if that's the case-"

"Of course I wouldn't!" Jacob snapped. "You know how it works. But when you just start making up rules for the fun of it…" he paused, a weird smile spreading over his face. "Talk about déjà vu," he muttered under his breath.

"This is different," Daddy sighed. "She's just a child, Jacob. I don't want her exposed to that sort of thing. In fact, I wish you had never told her about all this in the beginning- which you did without asking either of us, I might add."

"She is _not_ just a child," Jacob said, his hands beginning to tremble. "And you never could have kept it from her, anyway." He looked back at me, and turned back to Daddy, telling him the rest with his mind.

I stopped playing my song, frowning when I saw the childish, pouty face reflected in the black keys. I hated it when people did this- when they talked to Daddy that way so that I wouldn't hear it. I knew that if I asked, Jacob would talk out loud. Daddy was right about one thing- Jacob _would_ do anything I asked, as long as it wasn't bad. I felt guilty again, because now it looked like I had gotten my best friend in trouble.

"I understand that," Daddy said, finally answering Jacob's thoughts. "Truly, I do. But until that day comes, you will respect my judgment. She's _my_ daughter, Jacob- Bella's and mine. You are not some kind of third parent."

"So, seeing as how Bella, the _other_ of her two parents, didn't mind…"

"Don't complicate this, Jacob."

Jacob snorted. "Some things never change, do they?"

Daddy listened to Jacob's mind for another minute. His scowl slowly faded. "I concede the point," he said quietly. "But do you see _my_ point? When there's any sort of…. decision to be made, it will be made by Bella or by me. Understood?"

Jacob glared down at Daddy for another few seconds. "Yeah, I get it," he said, his eyes softening as he peeked over at me. He started to walk toward me, but Daddy held up his hand, blocking him.

"I'd like to spend some time with Renesmee now. Why don't you go back and make sure Tanya has explained the hunting situation to Mary? And while you're at it," he added with a wince, "could you ask Bella to fight a bit further out?"

Jacob nodded, waving to me as he went out the door. Daddy came and sat on the piano bench beside me, raising his hands to the keys. I thought we were going to play my lullaby again, but he just sat motionlessly, staring down at our hands. Mine were motionless on the keys as well- just a lot smaller.

"Renesmee," he said after several minutes, "I'm a little bit disappointed with you. Do you know why?"

I bit my lip, inching my little finger down the keys until it touched his own hand, and I showed him how I had tricked Jacob into taking me outside earlier.

"Yes. You remembered that I had told you not to watch the fighting, didn't you?"

I touched his hand again, showing him how Charlotte had tried to stop me. _But Jacob wouldn't have listened, if I had asked for something bad_, I added. _I don't want him to be in trouble._

"I understand," he said gently. "But we're not talking about Jacob right now. I'm disappointed because I had told you not to watch, and you disobeyed. And using Jacob's imprint to get him to help you disobey was not a very nice thing to do."

I thought about that. I remembered feeling guilty when I did it, and I had that same twisty feeling in my stomach right now. I didn't like that I had used Jacob, and I especially didn't like the disappointed look on Daddy's face right now. My stomach felt even more twisty when I thought about how busy and worried he was this week, and how I had just made it worse. My fingers tightened on the keys, the piano whispering the tangled notes back at me.

"I'm not angry with you," Daddy said gently. "You're a very little girl, and you're just beginning to learn how to live. I just want you to understand that what you did was wrong. And I can tell that you do understand now, and I'm glad."

I nodded. I looked up at him and whispered, "I'm sorry, Daddy."

He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. "I forgive you, sweetheart. Do you want to play your lullaby now?"

I nodded, and I played the melody as I had before, while Daddy played the lower parts. After we were done, we both held the last notes as they echoed. I noticed that I was playing with one finger, while Daddy had both his hands spread wide over the keys. I stretched out with my left hand, trying to make my fingers reach the way that Daddy's were. I couldn't, though.

_I hate being little._

"Why?"

_Because I'm the only one that's little. __Everyone else is doing really important things, and I can't even play the piano the right way._

Daddy smiled, picking up my hand and holding his palm against mine. "Well, you'll just have to wait until your fingers grow for that part. But you're doing a very important job, Nessie- in fact, it's _so_ important, that you're the only one that can do it."

_They don't really need my pictures_, I disagreed_. __They can watch me grow._

"I wasn't talking about your gift," he answered. "Although it does help. No, you're winning over everyone's hearts just by being _you_. Being the nicest, smartest, prettiest, most wonderful girl in the world. _That's_ why our friends are staying to help us."

"But I can't _do_ anything," I whined. "I want to be able to fight, too. I want to be able to help Momma kill Jane and Alec."

Daddy drew in his breath sharply. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

I showed him Momma's fight from earlier, and the things she had been saying. Daddy's hands curled into tight fists over the piano keys, and a funny sound came out of his throat. There was a blur, and suddenly Daddy was sitting on the floor beside my toys, crushing me tightly to his chest with trembling hands. "I'm sorry, Nessie," he whispered into my hair. "I'm so sorry."

"Why?"

Instead of answering right away, he reached into the toy box and got out my pink sheep blanket. I had played with it yesterday, tucking one of my dolls in for a nap inside one of Daddy's shoes. But I used to hold it in my own bed every night, back when I was a baby- two months ago. It seemed so _long_ ago. Daddy ran his thumb over the blanket, staring at it as he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry that all this is happening. I'm sorry that you can't just have fun and play like-"

_Like a regular kid?_

"That's not what I meant. You're perfect the way you are, Nessie. I just wish that this was over already, that's all. And it _will_ be over soon, I promise."

"And then we can go to Brazil?" I asked hopefully. That was what we were about to do, before all this Volturi stuff happened. We were going to go down there, and try to figure out whether I would die or not.

Daddy just shuddered, his arms tightening around me. "Yes, we will do that," he said quickly. "But I was thinking of other things- fun things. Kid things."

"_Regular_ kid things," I corrected, thinking of all the things I couldn't do. Going to school. Having human kid friends, with their birthday parties and sleepovers. Going to the beach with my family on a sunny day. Knowing whether or not I would live past my fifth birthday.

Daddy just closed his eyes. I knew he couldn't cry, but he looked like he was about to. After a minute, he opened his eyes and laid his fingers on my face, brushing away the tears that I had made for him.

"I'm not a regular kid, Daddy," I whispered, trying to make my voice sound strong. "And I want to watch Momma fight."

"Why? Why do you want to watch?"

I shrugged. "It's fun. It's really important to Momma, and so I feel proud of her when I see her try to win."

He thought for a minute. "That makes sense," he admitted. "All right, you can watch. But if you have any bad dreams about it, I'm going to ask you to stop again."

"Okay."

"But first, let's play for a little while," he said in a happier voice.

I smiled up at him. "Don't you have to learn Arabic?"

He waved his hand in the air. "I can learn Arabic any old time. What do _you_ want to do?"

So for the rest of the morning, I forgot to think about the Volturi, or my own mortality, or our missing loved ones; I was too busy building a Lego castle with the best Daddy in the world.

.

.

.

I was in such a good mood by lunchtime that I ate an entire grilled cheese sandwich along with my blood. It didn't really taste that good, but Daddy had cut it into a puzzle, so I ate it to make him happy.

"You know, Nessie, we should go out hunting soon," Daddy said as he cleaned up. "I'm a little thirsty, and you haven't been in a while either."

I just wrinkled my nose at the thought of animal blood. It wasn't as bad as the food, but it wasn't great. And I doubted any of my new friends would want to come with us.

"You might see if Garrett wants to come," Daddy said with his crooked smile. "He's been thinking about it."

"Thinking about what?" Jacob asked as he came into the kitchen. He sat on the stool next to me- it made the stool look so tiny, like the one in my doll house. "Hey, that's pretty good," he said as he picked up a puzzle piece from my sandwich, dropping it back onto the plate. "Who knew leeches could cook? Besides Esme, I mean."

Daddy just rolled his eyes. "Yes, Jacob, I'll make you a sandwich. And no, I am not cutting it up for you."

"Better make that three sandwiches. Did you say Garrett is thinking about trying animals?"

"Yes, he is. He's not really interested in switching, but he likes a challenge."

Jacob grinned. "I think it's more that he likes a certain blonde, don't you?"

"Probably. He's playing with fire, though." Daddy turned around to the skillet.

"What do you mean?"

Daddy just chuckled as he smeared butter on the top of Jacob's sandwiches before flipping them at vampire speed. "Kate and her sisters are succubae."

Jacob's eyes grew large. "No way. You mean they-"

Daddy cleared his throat loudly, and Jacob shut his mouth. I rolled my eyes, flipping my hair behind my shoulder like Rosalie. "I _know_ what a succubus is, Daddy."

"This is a weird conversation," Jacob muttered. "Anyway, can you wait for me and go tomorrow night? The packs are meeting with the council tonight."

"Yeah, Daddy!" I said through my last bite of sandwich. "Can Jacob come?"

"I suppose so," he said drily. "I'll have to see if I can find my fox horn."

.

.

.

After lunch, Daddy told Jacob that it was all right if he took me to watch Momma fight. I rode on Jacob's shoulders again, and he tossed me a couple times on the way. Momma and everyone else had moved farther away from the house, like Daddy had asked. When we got there, Peter was barking out orders while Momma fought with Tanya again.

"You can always attack again, Bella- don't be afraid to retreat. Yes, like that. Watch her left foot, now. Good!"

Momma darted away just as Tanya swept her foot in an arc, trying to catch Momma's knee. Instead of falling, Momma spun around and kicked back, sending Tanya into the trees.

"Not bad," Peter said. "If your eyes weren't still so red, I'd swear you were a year old, at least!"

"You'll find she's full of surprises."

We all turned, and I smiled in surprise to see Daddy sitting down beside Jacob and me, Arabic phrase book in hand. Momma gave him a huge grin and turned around just in time to block Tanya's next attack. Daddy flinched a few times, but he nodded encouragingly the next time Momma looked his way.

I gave him a questioning look. _I thought you didn't want to watch._

"I want to be proud of Momma, too," he said simply.


	4. Desert Wind

When the Egyptians still hadn't come by Tuesday night, we decided to go ahead with our hunting trip. Daddy wanted Tanya and Eleazar to stay behind to be in charge while he was gone, and so Kate and Carmen came along with us, as well as Jacob and Garrett.

When I had first asked him to come, Garrett just laughed until he saw Kate watching him carefully.

"All right, short stuff," he said, tousling my hair. "Why not? I'll try anything once."

Around sunset, Momma took me back to the cottage and we changed into jeans and sneakers for the hunt. The other vampires were waiting outside when we came back out, and I could hear the familiar thumping of Jacob's paws coming closer. Garrett was just dropping down into a defensive crouch when I walked out the door.

"It's all right, it's just Jacob," Daddy said. Garrett stood back up, grimacing at the smell as Jacob ran up. I jumped off the porch and reached up for a hug. Jacob knelt down on his forepaws, nuzzling me with his big, furry face. I buried my hands in his fur, swinging myself up onto his back, and he began prancing around the front yard, bouncing me until I began to giggle hysterically.

Garrett slowly shook his head, watching us. "Now I've seen everything," he murmured.

We all took off running, with Carmen, Kate and Garrett splitting off toward the west after we hit the lower slopes of the mountains. Daddy stared at Jacob for a minute, and then with a nod, he and Momma headed off in the other direction to hunt alone.

Jacob wiggled his shoulder blades to make sure I was secure, and took off at a sprint. I screamed with delight, pulling on his ears to steer our run. After a few minutes, Jacob slowed down as we picked up the scent of a herd of elk. He lay down and I rolled off.

"You go ahead, Jacob. I'm not really thirsty." This was mostly true- I wasn't thirsty for _elk_, anyway.

Jacob walked around me, nosing my back and pushing me forward.

I sighed dramatically, just like Rosalie. "Oh, _okay_. On three?" Jacob grinned, his tongue rolling out to one side. He stamped the ground with one of his huge paws: one, two, three!

We both jumped forward. Jacob let out a howl just before he pulled down one of the males, and I got one of the smaller females. I drank as much as I could- I knew that eventually I wouldn't be allowed to have human blood anymore, so I might as well get used to it. It wasn't _bad_, really; it just wasn't _good_.

Jacob took a lot longer, since he was actually eating. I climbed up onto the elk I had killed, settling down to watch the stars while I waited. A couple miles away, I heard a couple of bears angry roars, and then another roar that sounded an awful lot like Daddy. One of the bear's voices was suddenly silenced; he must have gotten that one. I wondered what bear blood tasted like. So far, I had tried elk, a couple other kinds of deer, mountain goat, and one time, coyote. Momma had killed that one for me. But Emmett and Rosalie both said that bear was the best, so maybe I would like that better.

I got my wish right away. There was a crashing sound coming toward us, and I heard the snuffling and grunting of the bear that must have gotten away. Jacob's ears perked up, and he left his kill, kneeling down for me to climb on. Instead, I poked my fingers down through his fur to touch his skin, showing him a picture of me tackling a huge bear. "Please?"

Jacob shook his big head, raising up one paw to tap the side of his head- his wolf sign for Daddy. I guess after getting in trouble yesterday, he didn't want to let me do something new that my parents might not like.

"Yeah, you're right," I sighed. "Let's go." But Jacob grinned again: he had an idea. He trotted over to a nearby tree, nodding his head up towards it. I climbed up easily, settling about halfway up to watch. He waited quietly until the bear found its way into the clearing, and he attacked, bringing it down to the forest floor with a big _WHUMP._ He watched the bear for a second to make sure it was dead, and then turned his head up to me expectantly.

"Thank you!" I called, jumping off my branch. I landed silently beside the bear, and Jacob stood watch while I rolled the bear over and had a taste.

Hmm, not bad!

While I was still drinking, Daddy and Momma strolled into the clearing. Momma's hair was messed up, and there was a little blood on her collar, but she had done pretty well.

I sat up as soon as I saw them. "I didn't kill it," I promised. "I climbed up in a tree and Jacob got it ready for me."

"I know," Daddy said cheerfully. "Not a bad idea, mutt. So what do you think of bear, Nessie?"

"_Renesmee_," Momma growled, poking him in the side. He poked her back and her scowl turned into a giggle as she poked him again.

"I like it," I said loudly, and they stopped to watch me finish. They seemed sort of proud- like they were watching a regular kid ride her bicycle for the first time. "I like it," I repeated when I was done. "It's way better than those icky deer."

"Good," Momma said with relief. This was the first time I had admitted to liking animal blood. I had known she was hoping I would find something I liked. "Now, since you're getting to be a big girl, would you like to help bury the animals?"

I nodded, and I began to dig. Jacob moved up beside me, his huge paws flying as he dug beside me. Pretty soon my elk and the bear were hidden, and Jacob went back to finish his meat. He was lucky because he didn't have to hide _his_ dinner.

"Well, that was interesting," said a male voice. A second later, Garrett, Carmen and Kate were standing with us, as well. Garrett was licking his lips, looking slightly disgusted.

"It gets better," Kate promised.

"And wait until you try polar bear!" Carmen added. Garrett just made a face.

We were all about to leave when Daddy's cell phone rang. He put it up to his ear, and all the vampires tensed after a second. Daddy just said "okay" and snapped the phone shut.

"Amun's at the house," he said. "We've got to go, Jacob. I think it would be best if you sat this one out- he's going to be difficult enough to convince as it is without- what? No, I don't think that's a good idea. _No_."

Jacob let out a whine, but stayed put while the rest of us left. Momma scooped me up and flipped me up onto her back as she started to run.

When the house came into view, Daddy stopped running and stood still, listening for a moment. "It's not the kind of Arabic I was expecting," he said with a frown. "But I think I can get most of it." He paused for another few seconds, his eyes squinting with effort. "He's already upset. He still doesn't know what this is about, and he's upset at the size of the gathering." Then his frown turned up at the corners. "But Carlisle was right- there are four of them."

"I think Renesmee and I should stay out here for now," Momma whispered back.

"I agree," he answered. "I'll call for you when it's time." He and the others ran on ahead and into the house.

I stood quietly so that Momma could hear what was going on. She stood like a statue for a couple of minutes, and then sighed in frustration. I heard the front door bang open and we saw four strangers file out, followed by Daddy, who was pleading with the male in front.

"Amun, please, listen to me! If you just look at her-"

"I don't _want_ to look at her," the man growled. "This is an outrage, and Carlisle had no right to get me involved! You're all going to burn for this! Let's go, Benjamin."

The other male bowed his head and followed, along with the two women. But with all the vampire scent in the area, they must not have known where Momma and I were standing, because they walked very close to us. The leaded- Amun- stopped in his tracks when he saw me, his face twisting in disgust and fear. He spun around and began to move in the other direction, followed by his coven. But the one called Benjamin stopped after a couple of steps, looking back at me curiously.

"What is that sound?" he asked. His voice was beautiful, and so young- he seemed even younger than Daddy.

"Her heartbeat," Daddy said hopefully. "I'm telling you, she's not an immortal child."

"It's a trick," Amun spat. "When you give your final testimony before your execution, make sure you tell Aro that I had nothing to do with this. Benjamin! What are you doing?"

Benjamin was creeping closer to me, an enchanting smile spreading over his face. "Hello," he said timidly.

"Hello," I answered. Benjamin jumped back in surprise, but recovered himself and crept closer again.

"How old are you, little one?" he asked.

"Three months, and my name is Renesmee," I said in as old a voice as I could manage. "Would you like me to show you?" I reached out my hand. Momma put her arms on my shoulders and I could feel her tensing up, but she didn't pull me away.

Benjamin looked at my hand, and then back up at my face in confusion. "What do you mean, show me?"

"I have a special talent," I said, standing up as tall as I could stretch. "If you let me touch you, I can show you things with my mind. Then you will see that I am not an immortal child."

Benjamin inched closer, but Amun flew over, restraining him. "Benjamin!" he hissed. "You will not let her touch you! Who knows what powers she might have? We're leaving!"

"In a minute," Benjamin said distractedly, gently taking Amun's hands off of his shoulders as he continued to stare at me. "I want to see her talent first."

"I forbid it!"

But Benjamin came and sat on the ground in front of me, nodding his permission. I stepped forward and put my hand on his face, showing him my life in fast-forward. His smile grew and grew as he watched. By the time I finished, Daddy was smiling too, and nodding to Momma; it looked like we had another witness.

Ignoring Amun's wordless sputtering, Benjamin turned and held out his hand to one of the women, who came and let me touch her, as well. She didn't speak, but she smiled at me with the same wonder as Benjamin had. The other woman looked curious as well, but as she began to inch forward, Amun whispered a single word in Arabic and she drew back to his side instantly, dropping her eyes.

After sharing a look with his mate, Benjamin stood up, squaring his shoulders as he faced Amun. "Tia and I are staying," he announced. "We're going to join the witnesses."

"This is madness!" Amun shrieked.

Benjamin's angelic smile remained. "If you would let her touch you, you would see."

"Of course I would see! Look at who her father is!" Amun hissed, pointing an accusing finger at Daddy. "A mind reader, spawning a mind control talent! You're a fool, Benjamin!"

Benjamin's smile finally faded. "Very well. If we survive, we will return to you after it's over."

Amun clenched his teeth. "Now just a minute-"

"Goodbye, Amun." Benjamin's jaw was set stubbornly, but I could see a twinkle in his eye. He turned to me and winked.

Was I missing something? What was so funny?

Daddy looked amused as well. He dropped his smile instantly when Amun turned to face him. "Of course, Amun," he said with a serious tone, "You are free to leave. We appreciate your coming to listen, but we understand."

"Of course, it may be some time before we return home," Benjamin said carelessly. "It might be interesting to travel for a while…" he looked back at Amun with just the slightest twist of a defiant smile.

Amun snarled as he looked back and forth between Benjamin and Daddy. "If you think I'm leaving my son here to be slaughtered, you're wrong," he said in a defeated voice. "Kebi and I will stay, for now. But keep that _thing_ away from me," he added, pointing at me. I backed up and buried my face in Momma's shirt, and she held me with hands that were shaking in anger. She stayed silent, though.

Amun stalked out into the woods, his mate following close behind.

"Wait," Daddy called, as he moved to follow them. "About the hunting…"

His voice trailed off as he disappeared into the woods, as well. I took my face out of Momma's shirt and smiled at Benjamin and Tia. "You tricked him," I said gleefully.

Benjamin winked at me again. "That's some talent," he said eagerly. "Can I see more?"

While I was showing him more pictures, some of the others came outside. Eleazar drew especially close and spent a long time staring at Benjamin with a look of awe on his face. After a while, Benjamin stood up and began to speak with the others. He seemed shy at first, but soon he was talking and laughing along with everyone else.

"Time to get ready for bed, sweetie," Momma said finally.

"Okay. Can I say goodnight to my new friends?"

"Of course."

I ran over to Benjamin and Tia, tugging on both their arms. They both knelt down, and I briefly touched both of their faces, showing them an image of me, sleeping in my bed and holding my wolf puppy.

"Goodnight, Renesmee," Benjamin said in his musical voice. "It was very nice to meet you today."

"It was nice to meet you, too," I said politely. "Can I ask you a question?"

He nodded, and I leaned closer to whisper. "Eleazar was looking at you funny. Do you have a talent like me and Daddy?"

"I do," he whispered. "Although Amun doesn't like people to know about it. Can you keep a secret?"

"Okay," I whispered back.

Benjamin held his hands out together- it looked like when Daddy held his hands up to play the piano. But he wiggled his fingers like a magician, and the dirt on the ground between us began to swirl. He closed his eyes in concentration, moving his fingers around in the air at vampire speed. When he opened his eyes, he looked down and smiled, showing me the rose he had "sculpted" out of the dirt. He reached over to a nearby water puddle and "pulled" the water up into the air, wiggling his fingers again to make it rain on the rose. But instead of turning into mud, the rose opened and bloomed. He waved one of his hands again, and the rose melted back into the ground, becoming just another pile of dirt.

"Cool," I sighed.

"Renesmee!" Momma called. I waved to my new friends and ran back to Momma, jumped and landing on her back as I wrapped my arms around her neck.

"I like our new friends," I whispered as we ran. Then I frowned. "Benjamin and Tia, I mean. Amun is really grumpy."

"I think so, too," she answered. "But I think he's just grumpy about a lot of things. Anyway, it looks like he and his mate are going to keep their distance."

"Good. And I don't think he would like Jacob either," I said thoughtfully.

Momma snorted. "Probably not."

When I drifted off to sleep later, I travelled through a dream garden in which Benjamin waved his arms like a magician, making the flowers bloom and swirl around me as I danced.

.

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**I decided that after the emotional intensity of the last chapter, we needed a short & easygoing one. But there should be more fun with the Egyptians as we go on. Next up, Carlisle and co. return home! **


End file.
